A Day In The Life Of Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing is known for rocking—rocking as a fantastic and prolific writer, and as a person. The Times featured her in their "A Life in the Day" column this weekend, and here are some of the gems from it. She's honest and direct, and even when she's not being particularly "happy," she's still optimistic, and inspiring.

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"This week I was told I have a wonderful complexion and shiny eyes. I put that down to indignation at how I feel! I have no energy any more. It's intolerable, especially when I think of how I used to be."

"The fact is that ever since I won the Nobel, all I do is talk—whether I know anything about the subject or not."

"It's lovely to have money to give away—that's the bonus of winning the Nobel. I support Oxfam, Shelter and Centrepoint. I've also got a fondness for a local cat-and-dog home and an organisation to help writers. I was much too proud to write begging letters when I was broke. Miraculously, two people I'd never met said they'd heard I was hard up and enclosed some money. They were communists and told me that when I had enough I should pass on the money to somebody else who needed it. I've been doing it ever since."

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